Overview

What Is Liver Transplantation?

Receiving or donating a liver is a life‐changing experience. At Northwestern Medicine Organ Transplant Center, we support you every step of the way—with leading clinical research, innovation and compassionate care.

Liver transplantation surgery involves the replacement of a diseased liver with a healthy liver from a deceased organ donor or part of a liver from a living donor. During the surgery, your diseased liver is removed through an incision in the upper abdomen. The donor liver is put in place and attached to your blood vessels and bile ducts. The operation may take up to 12 hours and requires a large amount of transfused blood.

The function of the liver is to:

  • Store vitamins, minerals and sugar
  • Make bile, a liquid that aids in digesting fat and proteins and absorbing vitamins A, D, E and K
  • Metabolize (break down) carbohydrates to produce energy
  • Produce the protein that regulates blood clotting
  • Remove harmful bacteria from the blood
  • Remove toxins from the blood, such as those from medication or alcohol

When the liver stops functioning—known as liver failure—treatment is needed. A team of specialists* will determine if you are a good candidate for liver transplantation. If so, you will be registered with the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) to find a donor liver.

Related Resources

Downloads

Websites

  • American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases: AASLD promotes liver health, awareness and resources for the patient and also announces research awards.
  • American Liver Foundation: The ALF offers an array of information about liver disease and transplantation, as well as clinical trials and chapter locations and specifics. The Illinois chapter features an online support group and message board.
  • Coalition on Donation: This organization promotes and provides education about organ donation.
  • Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network: This not-for-profit organ procurement organization works with hospitals and donor families in the northern three-fourths of Illinois and northwest Indiana. The organization is responsible for the recovery of organs and tissue for medical transplantation, as well as for professional and public education on organ and tissue donation.
  • MedlinePlus: Liver Transplantation: Extensive array of information resources regarding all aspects of liver transplantation. Selected and maintained by the National Library of Medicine.
  • National Organ and Tissue Donation Initiative: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is undertaking this initiative to ease the critical shortage of organ and tissue donors by building a national community of organ sharing.
  • Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network: OPTN is a unique public-private partnership that links all of the professionals involved in the donation and transplantation system to increase the supply of donated organs available for transplantation.
  • Transplant Village: Giving Back to Northwestern Medicine: Transplant Village is a community of organ recipients, donors and family members who have had their lives touched and changed by the Northwestern Medicine Organ Transplant Center. With efforts managed by the Northwestern Medicine Transplant Advisory Council, this group has come together to create a network of resources and support and to raise funds for research and patient care at our affiliated hospitals.
  • United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS): Click on "Transplant Living" for information, resources and tools for patients, families and caregivers.
  • U.S. Transplant: Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients: Check Transplant Statistics to see how NMH stands in relation to other transplant centers.

Support Groups

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In the spirit of keeping you well-informed, some of the physician(s) and/or individual(s) identified are neither agents nor employees of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare or any of its affiliate organizations. They have selected our facilities as places where they want to treat and care for their private patients.